Cairo, Egypt: China successfully defended its world junior mixed team title after defeating Malaysia 2-1 in a dramatic final of the BWF World Junior Team Championships 2026 at the Cairo Stadium Indoor Halls Complex.
The team competition, also known as the Suhandinata Cup, forms part of the BWF World Junior Championships and features men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles in a unique relay scoring format.
Malaysia pushed China through all three sets in the championship tie, recovering from a 55-46 opening-set defeat to win the second 55-53 before China regained control in the decider, 55-45.
Final result: China 2-1 Malaysia.
How the BWF World Junior Team Championships Scoring System Works
The 2026 team competition uses a 55-point relay scoring format rather than the traditional system used in most international badminton tournaments.
Each tie is played as a best-of-three-set contest, with every set containing five disciplines. The score is carried forward from one discipline to the next, with checkpoints at 11, 22, 33, 44 and 55 points.
The first country to reach 55 points wins the set, while the first team to win two sets wins the overall tie.
Set 1: China Build Early Advantage
China made the stronger start to the final and quickly established control through the two opening singles matches.
YIN Yi Qing gave China an 11-5 lead over Malaysia’s SAIDATUL Saadiah Muhammad in women’s singles.
LUO Jing Yu then extended China’s advantage against TIEW Wei Jie, moving the cumulative score to 22-13 after the men’s singles segment.
The Chinese lead grew further in women’s doubles as SHI Si Chen/WEI Yue Yue pushed the score to 33-18 against Malaysia’s Genevie LIM/Zi Yu LOW.
Malaysia improved during the later stages of the set, but China had already created enough separation to maintain control through mixed doubles and men’s doubles.
- Women’s Singles: YIN Yi Qing (China) led SAIDATUL Saadiah Muhammad (Malaysia) 11-5
- Men’s Singles: LUO Jing Yu (China) extended the lead against TIEW Wei Jie (Malaysia), 22-13
- Women’s Doubles: SHI Si Chen/WEI Yue Yue (China) led Genevie LIM/Zi Yu LOW (Malaysia), 33-18
- Mixed Doubles: FENG Yi Lang/LI Meng Han (China) led Ahmad REDZUAN/Zi Yu LOW (Malaysia), 44-30
- Men’s Doubles: TU Yi Chen/ZHENG Wei Gang (China) completed the set against Damien LING/Irfan M SHAZMIR (Malaysia), 55-46
Set 1: China 55-46 Malaysia.
Set 2: Malaysia Fight Back to Force a Decider
China again made the faster start in the second set.
ZHANG Yi Xin put China ahead 11-6 against SAIDATUL Saadiah Muhammad before HONG Tian Yue maintained the advantage against TIEW Wei Jie, taking the score to 22-18.
Malaysia’s comeback began in women’s doubles.
Genevie LIM/Zi Yu LOW turned the momentum against SHI Si Chen/WEI Yue Yue, transforming a four-point deficit into a 33-30 Malaysian lead.
The Malaysians then strengthened their position in mixed doubles as Irfan M SHAZMIR/Genevie LIM moved the score to 44-36 against FENG Yi Lang/LI Meng Han.
China produced a strong late push in men’s doubles, but Malaysia held on in a tense finish.
Irfan M SHAZMIR/Ahmad REDZUAN reached the 55-point target first against TU Yi Chen/ZHENG Wei Gang, giving Malaysia the set by just two points.
- Women’s Singles: ZHANG Yi Xin (China) led SAIDATUL Saadiah Muhammad (Malaysia) 11-6
- Men’s Singles: HONG Tian Yue (China) led TIEW Wei Jie (Malaysia), 22-18
- Women’s Doubles: Genevie LIM/Zi Yu LOW (Malaysia) moved ahead of SHI Si Chen/WEI Yue Yue (China), 33-30
- Mixed Doubles: Irfan M SHAZMIR/Genevie LIM (Malaysia) extended the lead against FENG Yi Lang/LI Meng Han (China), 44-36
- Men’s Doubles: Irfan M SHAZMIR/Ahmad REDZUAN (Malaysia) completed the set against TU Yi Chen/ZHENG Wei Gang (China), 55-53
Set 2: Malaysia 55-53 China.
Set 3: China Respond Strongly in Championship Decider
With the world junior team title reduced to one final set, China immediately re-established control.
YIN Yi Qing produced another strong women’s singles segment, giving China an 11-3 advantage over SAIDATUL Saadiah Muhammad.
LUO Jing Yu then increased the gap to 22-9 against TIEW Wei Jie, leaving Malaysia with a significant deficit.
Malaysia responded through Genevie LIM/Zi Yu LOW in women’s doubles, narrowing the margin against SHI Si Chen/WEI Yue Yue, but China remained ahead 33-26.
The defending champions steadied themselves again in mixed doubles, where FENG Yi Lang/LI Meng Han pushed the score to 44-35 against Ahmad REDZUAN/Zi Yu LOW.
Malaysia needed another late comeback in men’s doubles, but this time China closed the door.
TU Yi Chen/ZHENG Wei Gang protected the advantage against Damien LING/Irfan M SHAZMIR and reached 55 points first to secure the championship.
- Women’s Singles: YIN Yi Qing (China) led SAIDATUL Saadiah Muhammad (Malaysia) 11-3
- Men’s Singles: LUO Jing Yu (China) extended the lead against TIEW Wei Jie (Malaysia), 22-9
- Women’s Doubles: SHI Si Chen/WEI Yue Yue (China) led Genevie LIM/Zi Yu LOW (Malaysia), 33-26
- Mixed Doubles: FENG Yi Lang/LI Meng Han (China) led Ahmad REDZUAN/Zi Yu LOW (Malaysia), 44-35
- Men’s Doubles: TU Yi Chen/ZHENG Wei Gang (China) sealed the championship against Damien LING/Irfan M SHAZMIR (Malaysia), 55-45
Set 3: China 55-45 Malaysia.
China vs Malaysia BWF World Junior Team Championships 2026 Final
- Set 1: China beat Malaysia 55-46
- Set 2: Malaysia beat China 55-53
- Set 3: China beat Malaysia 55-45
Overall result: China 2-1 Malaysia.
Malaysia Take Silver After Pushing China to the Limit
Malaysia ultimately had to settle for the silver medal, but the final demonstrated the depth and fighting spirit of its junior badminton squad.
The second set was the highlight of Malaysia’s performance. After falling behind through both singles segments, Genevie LIM and Zi Yu LOW changed the direction of the tie in women’s doubles before Irfan M SHAZMIR and Genevie LIM extended the advantage in mixed doubles.
Malaysia then survived China’s late men’s doubles comeback to win 55-53 and force the defending champions into a deciding set.
China’s response in the third, however, proved decisive. Strong opening performances from YIN Yi Qing and LUO Jing Yu gave the defending champions a lead that Malaysia could not completely erase.
China Retain Suhandinata Cup in Cairo
The victory allows China to retain the Suhandinata Cup, the trophy awarded to the winner of the BWF World Junior Team Championships.
For Malaysia, reaching the final and taking the defending champions into a deciding set represents a significant result for the country’s next generation of badminton players.
Attention now turns to the individual competition at the BWF World Junior Championships, where many of the players who competed in the team final will return to court chasing individual world junior titles.
